{"id":16689,"date":"2025-10-16T18:21:34","date_gmt":"2025-10-16T18:21:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nationalgunowner.org\/index.php\/2025\/10\/16\/interview-erin-morley-and-lawrence-brownlee-on-their-golden-age\/"},"modified":"2025-10-16T18:21:36","modified_gmt":"2025-10-16T18:21:36","slug":"interview-erin-morley-and-lawrence-brownlee-on-their-golden-age","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nationalgunowner.org\/index.php\/2025\/10\/16\/interview-erin-morley-and-lawrence-brownlee-on-their-golden-age\/","title":{"rendered":"Interview: Erin Morley and Lawrence Brownlee On Their \u2018Golden Age\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<div itemprop=\"articleBody\">\n<figure id=\"attachment_1593369\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1593369\" style=\"width: 970px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/observer.com\/2025\/10\/interview-erin-morley-lawrence-brownlee-met-opera-la-fille-du-regiment\/fille-rehearsal\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-1593369\" data-lasso-id=\"2851546\"><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1593369\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Erin Morley and Lawrence Brownlee in <em>La Fille du R\u00e9giment<\/em> rehearsals. <span class=\"media-credit\">Photo: Jonathan Tichler\/Met Opera<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Synchronicity between live performances and new recordings used to be quite common in classical music. Therefore, the October 17 opening of the Metropolitan Opera\u2019s revival of <i>La Fille du R\u00e9giment<\/i> preceded by the release of Pentatone\u2019s <i>Golden Age<\/i> CD\u2014both starring <a href=\"https:\/\/observer.com\/person\/erin-morley\/\" title=\"Erin Morley\" class=\"company-link\">Erin Morley<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/observer.com\/person\/lawrence-brownlee\/\" title=\"Lawrence Brownlee\" class=\"company-link\">Lawrence Brownlee<\/a>\u2014might seem a model of canny long-range planning. However, the singers confided to me that the recording\u2019s genesis came well before the Donizetti comedy was on the Met\u2019s schedule as one of this season\u2019s bel canto highlights.<\/p>\n<section class=\"wp-block-observer-newsletters observer-newsletters--in-content\">\n<\/section>\n<p>In April 2020, as a response to COVID-19 closing opera houses, the Met put together a live online \u201cAt-Home Gala\u201d during which a dazzling collection of the biggest stars performed (often from their homes) for a worldwide audience. One particularly special segment featured Morley accompanying herself on the piano while singing an aria from <i>La Fille du R\u00e9giment<\/i>. I wondered if she had any inkling that she would be singing Marie at the Met five years later. Initially, she had hesitated to perform, but her father strongly encouraged her to participate. He believed, she told Observer that the At-Home Gala would be a moment of connection, a moment of light in the darkness. \u201cThe rush I felt singing \u201cChacun le sait\u201d that day can\u2019t be explained,\u201d Morley told Observer, \u201cand now, to sing the aria with the Met Orchestra\u2014with my audience in person\u2014is almost too overwhelming to understand.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><div class=\"youtube-embed\" data-video_id=\"tPC487S4nvA\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Erin Morley: &quot;Chacun le sait&quot; - La Fille du R\u00e9giment (Donizetti)\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/tPC487S4nvA?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<p>That gala also proved to be prophetic for Brownlee, who sang \u201cA te, o cara\u201d from <i>I Puritani<\/i>: he\u2019ll be Arturo opposite <a href=\"https:\/\/observer.com\/person\/lisette-oropesa\/\" title=\"Lisette Oropesa\" class=\"company-link\">Lisette Oropesa<\/a> as Elvira in Bellini\u2019s final opera when the Met premieres its first new production of <i>I Puritani<\/i> since the 1970s on New Year\u2019s Eve.<\/p>\n<p>Sometime after the gala, the tenor reached out to Morley about the possibility of doing a duets CD together. \u201cErin is a dear friend,\u201d he told Observer, \u201cand I have immense respect for her as an artist. She inspires me as a performer and continually pushes me to want to raise my own level.\u201d Morley offered that \u201cmaking an album together felt a little bit like planning a wedding. We have to make so many little decisions together!\u201d Both said that the delightful <i>Fille<\/i> duet between Marie and Tonio was the first selection they chose to include.<\/p>\n<p><div class=\"youtube-embed\" data-video_id=\"6oo8JQzYAJk\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Erin Morley and Lawrence Brownlee - Donizetti: LA FILLE DU R\u00c9GIMENT &quot;Quoi? Vous m\u2019aimez?&quot;\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/6oo8JQzYAJk?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<p>Before they came together to record the CD in July 2024, Morley and Brownlee starred as Pamina and Tamino in the <a href=\"https:\/\/observer.com\/2023\/05\/the-mets-die-zauberflote-is-music-made-magic\/\" data-lasso-id=\"2851547\">Spring 2023 Met premiere of Simon McBurney\u2019s wildly inventive <i>Die Zauberfl\u00f6te<\/i><\/a>. They were not the original casting: the production was planned with different singers for the canceled 2020-21 season. But their acclaimed high-flying collaboration perhaps signaled that they were a pair the Met needed to feature again. Morley shared that the \u201cZauberfl\u00f6te experience was extremely cool. I\u2019ve no doubt we\u2019ll have a blast singing <i>Fille<\/i> together as well.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Their individual long associations with the Met began within a season of each other as Brownlee debuted in April 2007 as Almaviva in <i>Il Barbiere di Siviglia<\/i>, while Morley, fresh out of Juilliard, joined the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program and performed a tiny role in Puccini\u2019s <i>Manon Lescaut<\/i> in February 2007. While the tenor continued in starring roles, Morley moved steadily up the ranks until two 2013 breakthrough appearances, first as Soeur Constance in Poulenc\u2019s <i>Dialogues des Carm\u00e9lites<\/i> and then, replacing the originally scheduled soprano, as Sophie in <i>Der Rosenkavalier. <\/i>These, along with Olympia in Offenbach\u2019s <i>Les Contes d\u2019Hoffmann<\/i>, are among her most significant Met roles.<\/p>\n<p><div class=\"youtube-embed\" data-video_id=\"VXKsOeccz8w\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Les Contes d&#039;Hoffmann: &quot;Les oiseaux dans la charmille&quot; (Erin Morley)\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/VXKsOeccz8w?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<p>The upcoming Met <i>Fille<\/i> will be a role debut for Morley. An orphan raised by an all-male military platoon, Marie inevitably displays a tomboyishness that comes naturally to the soprano: \u201cI love everything about Marie. I connect with her through and through. At one point in my childhood, all my friends were boys, and we played basketball for hours every day. At another point, I wanted to be in the army like my Dad had been\u2026 I just had a real desire to be a tough girl.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>On the other hand, Brownlee is a veteran of at least fifteen different productions as Tonio, Marie\u2019s non-military suitor, a role he last performed at the Met in 2011 in Laurent Pelly\u2019s beloved comically antic production, which has also been seen at Covent Garden, the Paris Op\u00e9ra, La Scala, and Lyric Opera of Chicago. It\u2019s likely that even those who may have never seen the opera will know Tonio\u2019s big first-act aria with its nine high Cs! \u201cI have performed this role many times, and I still feel a rush when I arrive at the high Cs! It\u2019s important to stay settled and focused on producing my best, most efficient singing in this moment. I respect the challenges and embrace the pyrotechnics.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><div class=\"youtube-embed\" data-video_id=\"0gJUljjdsxA\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Lawrence Brownlee  - Ah, mes amis - La fille du regiment\" width=\"696\" height=\"522\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/0gJUljjdsxA?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<p>But Tonio isn\u2019t all about this show-stopping bravura, as \u201cthe second act aria is completely different and all about producing a compelling, heart-touching plea in the fight for his love. I often feel a greater sense of satisfaction in being able to execute the second aria than the first!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While their new duet CD, <i>The Golden Age<\/i>, wasn\u2019t explicitly planned to coincide with the <i>Fille<\/i> revival, its release was eventually coordinated with the Met opening. Before it was recorded, Brownlee had a notable success with another collaborative CD\u2014<i>Amici e rivali<\/i>, an all-Rossini program with fellow tenor Michael Spyres. \u201cI was pleased with the success of <i>Amici e rivali,<\/i> and it highlighted the collegiality and friendship or connection that can spill over to the stage. I thought, \u2018why not do it again?\u2019\u2014thus the project <i>The Golden Age<\/i> was born!\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1593370\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1593370\" style=\"width: 970px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/observer.com\/2025\/10\/interview-erin-morley-lawrence-brownlee-met-opera-la-fille-du-regiment\/fille_act1_0301_d\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-1593370\" data-lasso-id=\"2851548\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload size-full-width wp-image-1593370\" src=\"https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/Fille_Act1_0301_D.jpg?quality=80&amp;w=970\" alt=\"A woman dressed in military-style costume stands behind an ironing board onstage, flexing her arm and holding an iron in a theatrical pose during a scene from La Fille du R\u00e9giment.\" width=\"970\" height=\"692\" srcset=\"https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/Fille_Act1_0301_D.jpg 5400w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/Fille_Act1_0301_D.jpg?resize=300,214 300w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/Fille_Act1_0301_D.jpg?resize=768,548 768w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/Fille_Act1_0301_D.jpg?resize=635,453 635w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/Fille_Act1_0301_D.jpg?resize=1536,1097 1536w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/Fille_Act1_0301_D.jpg?resize=2048,1462 2048w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/Fille_Act1_0301_D.jpg?resize=970,692 970w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/Fille_Act1_0301_D.jpg?resize=320,228 320w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/Fille_Act1_0301_D.jpg?resize=1920,1371 1920w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/Fille_Act1_0301_D.jpg?resize=50,36 50w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 300px, 620px\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload size-full-width wp-image-1593370\" src=\"https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/Fille_Act1_0301_D.jpg?quality=80&amp;w=970\" alt=\"A woman dressed in military-style costume stands behind an ironing board onstage, flexing her arm and holding an iron in a theatrical pose during a scene from La Fille du R\u00e9giment.\" width=\"970\" height=\"692\" srcset=\"https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/Fille_Act1_0301_D.jpg 5400w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/Fille_Act1_0301_D.jpg?resize=300,214 300w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/Fille_Act1_0301_D.jpg?resize=768,548 768w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/Fille_Act1_0301_D.jpg?resize=635,453 635w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/Fille_Act1_0301_D.jpg?resize=1536,1097 1536w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/Fille_Act1_0301_D.jpg?resize=2048,1462 2048w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/Fille_Act1_0301_D.jpg?resize=970,692 970w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/Fille_Act1_0301_D.jpg?resize=320,228 320w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/Fille_Act1_0301_D.jpg?resize=1920,1371 1920w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/Fille_Act1_0301_D.jpg?resize=50,36 50w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 300px, 620px\"\/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1593370\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Erin Morley as Marie in <em>La Fille du R\u00e9giment<\/em>. <span class=\"media-credit\">Photo: Karen Almond\/Met Opera<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Both artists emphasized that the mid-19th-century Italian and French repertoire included in the new CD with Ivan Repu\u0161i\u0107 conducting the M\u00fcnchner Rundfunkorchester was chosen to emphasize the most moving and exciting aspects of the operatic voice by highlighting \u201cpieces a little off the beaten path that showcased virtuosic writing that challenged us as singers and communicators.\u201d It seems a sentiment much in line with the Met\u2019s past campaign \u201cThe Voice Must be Heard\u201d which the company has brought back this season.<\/p>\n<p><div class=\"youtube-embed\" data-video_id=\"Yv74MpsOVZQ\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Voice Must Be Heard\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Yv74MpsOVZQ?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<p>Morley includes lovely versions of \u201cCaro nome\u201d from Verdi\u2019s <i>Rigoletto<\/i> and <i>The Bell Song<\/i> from Delibes\u2019s <i>Lakm\u00e9<\/i>, two of the most often-recorded coloratura chestnuts, while Brownlee explores a virtually unknown extended scena from Donizetti\u2019s <i>Marino Faliero<\/i>. But the duets are the CD\u2019s real gems, including two Donizetti items, the <i>Fille<\/i> number and the heavenly \u201cTornami a dir\u201d from <i>Don Pasquale<\/i> that many listeners will already know.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRevelatory\u201d must be the best descriptor for two French duets: \u201cD\u2019ou viens-tu?\u2026C\u2019est le Dieu de la jeunesse,\u201d another slice of <i>Lakm\u00e9<\/i>, and \u201cIls verront si je mens!\u201d from Bizet\u2019s rarely performed <i>La Jolie Fille de Perth<\/i>. The latter aptly demonstrates, along with Brownlee\u2019s <i>Les P\u00eacheurs de Perles<\/i> aria, that there is so much more to Bizet than <i>Carmen<\/i>. Both <i>Lakm\u00e9<\/i> excerpts urgently argue for more revivals of a work labeled by many today as untouchable due to the stereotypical treatment of its Hindu characters. Morley, however, argues that the work is far harsher on the British colonists and might profitably be seen as illuminating the destructive effect of the exploitative Raj.<\/p>\n<p>My own favorite track from the CD is \u201cAh, quel respect\u2026Ce t\u00e9m\u00e9raire qui croit nous plaire,\u201d a delicious Rossini gem from <i>Le Comte Ory<\/i>. This sizzling duel between Ad\u00e8le and Ory is a French retread swiped from the composer\u2019s <i>Il viaggio a Reims<\/i>, recently revived by Opera Philadelphia. This track demonstrates that an ideal Met follow-up to <i>Fille<\/i> would be a revival of <a href=\"https:\/\/observer.com\/person\/bartlett-sher\/\" title=\"Bartlett Sher\" class=\"company-link\">Bartlett Sher<\/a>\u2019s <i>Le Comte Ory<\/i> production starring Morley and Brownlee!<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1593372\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1593372\" style=\"width: 970px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/observer.com\/2025\/10\/interview-erin-morley-lawrence-brownlee-met-opera-la-fille-du-regiment\/ga-cd\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-1593372\" data-lasso-id=\"2851549\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload size-full-width wp-image-1593372\" src=\"https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/GA-CD.jpg?quality=80&amp;w=970\" alt=\"A man in a tuxedo and a woman in glamorous vintage-style attire pose together against a dark backdrop on the album cover for The Golden Age, highlighting their duet recording project.\" width=\"970\" height=\"970\" srcset=\"https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/GA-CD.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/GA-CD.jpg?resize=300,300 300w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/GA-CD.jpg?resize=768,768 768w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/GA-CD.jpg?resize=600,600 600w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/GA-CD.jpg?resize=970,970 970w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/GA-CD.jpg?resize=320,320 320w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/GA-CD.jpg?resize=800,800 800w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/GA-CD.jpg?resize=700,700 700w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/GA-CD.jpg?resize=50,50 50w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 300px, 620px\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload size-full-width wp-image-1593372\" src=\"https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/GA-CD.jpg?quality=80&amp;w=970\" alt=\"A man in a tuxedo and a woman in glamorous vintage-style attire pose together against a dark backdrop on the album cover for The Golden Age, highlighting their duet recording project.\" width=\"970\" height=\"970\" srcset=\"https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/GA-CD.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/GA-CD.jpg?resize=300,300 300w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/GA-CD.jpg?resize=768,768 768w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/GA-CD.jpg?resize=600,600 600w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/GA-CD.jpg?resize=970,970 970w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/GA-CD.jpg?resize=320,320 320w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/GA-CD.jpg?resize=800,800 800w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/GA-CD.jpg?resize=700,700 700w, https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/GA-CD.jpg?resize=50,50 50w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 300px, 620px\"\/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1593372\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Morley and Brownlee\u2019s long parallel histories highlight how shared artistic journeys can evolve into major collaborations onstage and in the recording studio. <span class=\"media-credit\">Photo: Dario Acosta<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Met\u2019s <i>Fille<\/i> will be conducted by <a href=\"https:\/\/observer.com\/person\/giacomo-sangripanti\/\" title=\"Giacomo Sangripanti\" class=\"company-link\">Giacomo Sangripanti<\/a>, who was so impressive in his Met debut last season, and also feature <a href=\"https:\/\/observer.com\/person\/susan-graham\/\" title=\"Susan Graham\" class=\"company-link\">Susan Graham<\/a>, Peter K\u00e1lm\u00e1n and actress <a href=\"https:\/\/observer.com\/person\/sandra-oh\/\" title=\"Sandra Oh\" class=\"company-link\">Sandra Oh<\/a> as the Duchess of Krakenthorp, a non-singing cameo role that opera companies have cast with <a href=\"https:\/\/observer.com\/person\/bea-arthur\/\" title=\"Bea Arthur\" class=\"company-link\">Bea Arthur<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/observer.com\/person\/ruth-bader-ginsburg\/\" title=\"Ruth Bader Ginsburg\" class=\"company-link\">Ruth Bader Ginsburg<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/observer.com\/person\/dame-kiri-te-kanawa\/\" title=\"Dame Kiri Te Kanawa\" class=\"company-link\">Dame Kiri Te Kanawa<\/a>. After its run, Morley will add a new Richard Strauss role to her repertoire when she takes on Zdenka in <i>Arabella<\/i> at the Zurich Opera. She will return to the Met in 2027-28 for a new work, <i>The Mothers of Kherson<\/i> by Ukrainian composer <a href=\"https:\/\/observer.com\/person\/maxim-kolomiiets\/\" title=\"Maxim Kolomiiets\" class=\"company-link\">Maxim Kolomiiets<\/a> with a libretto by American playwright <a href=\"https:\/\/observer.com\/person\/george-brant\/\" title=\"George Brant\" class=\"company-link\">George Brant<\/a>. Brownlee, who jumped in to replace an ailing colleague for the second performance of <a href=\"https:\/\/observer.com\/2025\/10\/music-review-opera-philadelphia-il-viaggio-a-reims-la-sonnambula-met\/\" data-lasso-id=\"2851550\">the Met\u2019s new <i>La Sonnambula<\/i><\/a>, has remained one of the world\u2019s go-to bel canto tenors for two decades. But he will reveal his first-ever Duke in Verdi\u2019s <i>Rigoletto<\/i> during February in Tokyo, where last spring he said goodbye to <i>Barbiere<\/i>\u2019s Almaviva, long a signature role. \u201cNow I\u2019ll yield to the young guys!\u201d Throughout the season, the pair will reunite to present <i>The Golden Age<\/i> concerts, most often with piano, as when <a href=\"https:\/\/observer.com\/person\/malcolm-martineau\/\" title=\"Malcolm Martineau\" class=\"company-link\">Malcolm Martineau<\/a> accompanies them at New York City\u2019s 92nd Street Y on May 6. When asked which role in the other\u2019s repertoire they wish they could try out, Brownlee said, \u201cAbsolutely the Doll in <a href=\"https:\/\/observer.com\/2024\/10\/tenor-benjamin-bernheim-hoffmann-revival-met-opera\/\" data-lasso-id=\"2851551\"><i>Tales of Hoffmann<\/i><\/a>,\u201d while Morley said she \u201cwould steal Tonio from him for a night! Who wouldn\u2019t love to sing \u201cAh, mes amis\u201d?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" itemprop=\"image\" src=\"https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/Fille-Rehearsal-e1760635535265.jpg?quality=80&amp;w=970\" alt=\"Erin Morley and Lawrence Brownlee Bring \u2018Golden Age\u2019 Flair to the Met\u2019s \u2018La Fille du R\u00e9giment\u2019 Revival\" style=\"display:none;width:0;\"\/><\/p><\/div>\n<p><script>\n\t!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)\n\t{if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\n\t\tn.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};\n\t\tif(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';\n\t\tn.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\n\t\tt.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\n\t\ts.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window, document,'script',\n\t\t'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n\tfbq('init', '618909876214345');\n\tfbq('track', 'PageView');\n<\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Erin Morley and Lawrence Brownlee in La Fille du R\u00e9giment rehearsals. Photo: Jonathan Tichler\/Met Opera Synchronicity between live performances and new recordings used to be quite common in classical music. Therefore, the October 17 opening of the Metropolitan Opera\u2019s revival of La Fille du R\u00e9giment preceded by the release of Pentatone\u2019s Golden Age CD\u2014both starring [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16690,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-16689","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-usa-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nationalgunowner.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16689","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nationalgunowner.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nationalgunowner.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nationalgunowner.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nationalgunowner.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16689"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/nationalgunowner.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16689\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16691,"href":"https:\/\/nationalgunowner.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16689\/revisions\/16691"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nationalgunowner.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16690"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nationalgunowner.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16689"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nationalgunowner.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16689"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nationalgunowner.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16689"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}